Endings are Stupid
by flyingweaselman
Summary: YGGDRASIL has come to an end. Yet for Hajime it continues, just not in an ideal way. Logged in at the server shutdown in his sister's low-level character, he is thrust into the New World, unable to use his high tier gear. Oh, and being the wrong gender... That was too much to ask. Rated T for Mild Language and Violence
1. Chapter 1

He hated endings. All the melancholy. All the hard work and all the enjoyment taking its place in the past, never to continue. He associated it with leaving behind a well-read story or a deserved vacation. For Hajime the end was the worst part of the story.

He scrolled through the menus in the DMMORPG he had come to love because it had no endings. The interface of YGGRDASIL slowly showing him his guild's characters. Hajime's hard work for the last ten years of his gaming life scrolled past him. He let out a contented sigh as he remembered the good times he had with each of them. A warrior, clad in heavy full-plate, brandishing their sword high in triumph. A mage held an ornate staff in his left hand with electricity arcing over his head and into his opposite hand. A ranger, crouching in the trees with a nocked arrow, ready for release. Characters of all levels and classes cycled through.

I got to know the game, in and out. Hajime thought. I've experimented with every class and tried every build. With the guildies I had ran through most all the raids. He chuckled, It was quite the ride.

The menu slowed as it reached near the end.

What should I do for the last bit of the game?

The cursor fell on one last character. A low-mid level female elf magus. It was his sister's character. She had stopped playing earlier and had given him her login info when she left. Hajime paused over this one.

We never got to get you to the late game, did we? Hajime sat back and glanced at the time.

11:45

Well, may as well have you be my last character. He confirmed his selection.

Light blazed in his vision and he was flying down a tunnel which a large door appeared as the only entrance. The darkwood door opened on its own and allowed Hajime passage. After his eyes adjusted from flying through it, he was standing in the lobby of his old guild hall.

It wasn't an ornate room. The walls were plain and had few decorations. The insignia of the guild that once occupied here was on a few scant banners. It was barely discernable as a guild hall.

The silence was disquieting.

Hajime's avatar scowled. Even more indicators this was an ending.

He sauntered over to a signboard with labels and placed his hand down on it. Personal rooms, auction house, training grounds, the overworld, and finally the guild bank. The spartan locales kept Hajime's guild in obscurity. Kaz Aida Firius was his guild's name, the name displayed luxuriously at the top of the signboard. Hajime was often amused with YGGDRASIL's guild naming conventions. Three words from the game's library of it's own invented language. It would sometimes make for humorous combinations, usually worn as a mark of pride.

11:50

A weak smile formed on Hajime's face as he took his hands from the board before meandering down the hallway. He walked towards the personal quarters assigned to the guild. Each room inside had a name board overhead which signified ownership. Inside, their contents remained as if expecting their owners to return. All the names were friends he recognized. Some he knew in real life, but most were only here in the game.

Hajime turned a corner and walked down the hall leading toward the guild bank. Soon after, the racial abilities of elves kicked in. Wit his heightened hearing he picked up the faint noise of chatter from down the hall.

His head perked up and he picked up his pace. His steps echoed sharply to announce his presence.

Who could be on at this time? I should've checked the guild rosters when I logged back in.

The guild's bank came into view. The voices heard inside as the guild voice chat feature turned on when a guild member was near. Two men were conversing fondly.

"And after that, Jasper still insisted he didn't have a chicken on his head!" the first voice said.

Laughter came from the second man, "That was one of the best April Fool's pranks. Who came up with that idea? Scuzzy?"

"Nah, it was Dellyn! Of all people!" the first man said.

The second man guffawed, "No way!"

"It's true, I helped," Hajime said walking inside.

The two men sat across from another on sofas in a lounge to the side of the main floor of the bank. A coffee table was set between them and a man in dark armor had rested his feet on it. An aura of darkness wafted from the where his gloves met his sleeves and from his boots. His face obscured by shadow, except for a pair of glowing eyes. Opposite him a man wearing an impressive set of full-plated armor who had to turn around to see Hajime. A sword, crackling with energy rested against the sofa he was sitting on. Around his head floated runes like a crown as well as more around his arms and legs.

The dark one recognized his voice and greeted Hajime. "Tenshu!" You're enjoying the end of the best thing to ever happen to us, with that? Whatever happened to your account?" He motioned to Hajime's avatar.

"This character is my sister's, actually." Hajime's avatar gave a weak smirk. He walked over to the other seat near the two and unceremoniously dropped his pack. He then fell down into the seat. "The character's name is Elora."

The elf Hajime was playing was wearing a set of plain armor. Her blonde hair was tied up in a simple ponytail behind her head and she wore a small silver trinket on her neck. She had blue gambeson that was barely showing through a chain shirt with a light breastplate on top. Her legs had the same padding on the thighs with plate greaves attached to sabatons over her feet. On her back she wore her adventuring gear. A green cloak covered her back and fell to mid calf. A backpack strapped overtop. Various potions and tools were hanging from the edges and open pockets. A longsword strapped to her right hip.

"It's just how I'm trying to trick myself into thinking there's more to this." He stretched both arms into the air, "Ya know, before it all ends."

The dark one pointed a thumb at the other, "Kadesh and I were just reminiscing. We felt better about seeing this place off in our first avatars we played in YGGDRASIL."

Hajime relaxed into the seat, "Not a bad way to end it I guess, Traizen"

Kadesh sighed, "We were about to log off, actually."

Traizen leaned over to Kadesh and smacked his knees.

"Way to end the conversation man!"

Kadesh became defensive, "What? We were!"

Traizen took a deep breath and looked up, dejected. "I know, we've both got work tomorrow. And I've got school before that."

Hajime's avatar smiled. "I forgot you were roommates."

"Brothers too, actually," Kadesh said.

"Huh, no kidding?"

"Yep," Kadesh drawled.

11:55

A few moments passed in silence before Traizen stood up.

"It's going to be pretty empty here without you guys, ya know?" Hajime said.

Traizen put his hands on his hips, "I know. I'm almost regretting the fact the guild never created any guildhall NPCs."

Hajime shrugged. "Well, we were never a PVP guild, so we didn't need to defend our stuff."

"You're coming to that new DMMO, aren't you?"

Hajime let his head fall backward onto the chair. "I don't know. After all this, I don't know if I can start over. Not really. I may not play any more MMO's."

"That's a shame. Well, it's been fun." Traizen clapped hands with Hajime.

"When you want to game again, you know where to find us," Traizen said before logging off.

Kadesh stood up after him. "You take care."

Hajime nodded back with a friendly smile.

Kadesh then started to do the logout procedure before his head shot up. "Oh, before I forget. We've banked all our items, if you want to play around with them in the last few minutes of the game then go ahead."

"Thanks, I'll be sure to." It may be fun, to see everyone's collection.

With that, Kadesh finally logged off. The inevitable silence came to confirm the end.

11:58

Hajime let out a breath and kicked himself up. He walked over to the desk where guild members could access the bank. Hajime yawned as he pulled up the interface to give him access. A few buttons pushed and he was in a large armory. Racks of high level armor and weapons lay in storage, magical energies flowed in the air around them. Hajime could feel the radiating powers. A walkway went forward into the center where it crossed a second path. If he continued forward, he would be able to access the guild funds. To his left and to his right were paths that lead to where they stored the premium items.

11:59

Picking a spot near the crossing, Hajime sat down and hugged his knees by a rack of armor.

11:59:30

Even more than all the guild's characters, this room represents the life I've lived for the past ten years. It's a shame to see it all go to waste.

11:59:57

:58

:59

Hajime took one final look at the guildhall when he felt a sudden force pull him backwards. Then finally, the compulsion to sleep.

12:00:00

I hate endings…


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I've retconned the first chapter to make it so there's only one account per player.

Thanks to anon for pointing that out!

...=================...

He woke up with a splitting headache.

Slowly opening his eyes, he blinked away the sleep.

 _I'm still here?_

Grimacing he brought up his hand to rub his eyes. He was laying down on his back with his other hand on his stomach. The room's silence greeted him again, save for the sounds of the magic equipment.

 _Isn't the game supposed to be offline now?_ He rolled onto his side.

Aches flew up his back and he groaned.

 _Pain? That was never a feature_.

Hajime took a moment to look at the game's clock. It wasn't there. The interface on the game's HUD didn't appear. He had nothing in his vision to remind him that he was in a game.

He pulled himself cross-legged into a seated position which brought more pain. He winced as the headache became even more plain. It was as if he was suffering from a hangover. Hajime brought his hands up and massaged his temples before looking around. The room was as he left it. No sign of any disturbances. The equipment remained on their racks and the torches flickered like nothing happened.

 _Well, let's at least get up._ He gingerly stood up, careful to not agitate his head. It wasn't easy. The more he stood up blood rushed away from his head and the more pain he experienced. Hajime took a deep breath and allowed his body to settle once he managed to stand up. Gradually the headache subsided and he rubbed his temples once more before he walked around.

 _Is this some new patch?_ Hajime thought. _No, it couldn't be. No developer would be stupid enough to say they were shutting down their servers only to launch a new expansion._

As he walked, he noted how he felt every step. His senses were heightened, not just his hearing. His sense of touch allowed him to count the fibers on his clothes and he could see finer details than before as if he had put on glasses for the first time.

Hajime left the armory behind and walked through the guild hall. He didn't know what he was expecting. The rooms were the same, no one in them. The stillness made him uncomfortable with his new senses.

"Hel-." He began to call out but breathed in sharp. His hands grasped his mouth.

 _Was that voice… female…?_

Hajime swallowed.

He shut his eyes tight. "Hello!"

A distinct female voice called out. Hajime's shoulder's slumped. It wasn't a weak voice to be sure, but it didn't have the power behind it that he was used to having with his normal voice.

 _What the hell happened?!_

He moved quickly. His steps, once again, sounded clearly through the hallways.

 _A mirror! Er, something! Something to see myself with!_

He reached the entrance lobby and move through a hallway opposite the one he came from. The transmogrify room was near here. It was a room which players would customize the look of their gear or try out the look of another item they had seen. It wasn't much, but it allowed the player to get a good look.

After a determined walk, Hajime found the room. Various scraps of cloth and accessories were displayed throughout the room to give it the appearance of a dressing room. Hajime stood in the middle of the room and instinctively activated the room's effect His female elf character stared back at him. It reflected like a normal mirror would. Hajime was able to examine his character's face in far greater detail than was ever possible in YGGDRASIL.

 _Well, at least I can still use some of the features of the game without the interface. I wonder if this applies to everything else?_

The facial animation was perfect. It no longer had an uncanny effect. He closed one eye and peered closely at the projection. The eyeball and iris both rendered in stunning detail. For a moment, Hajime could swear that his eyes shimmered. He stuck out his tongue and made a silly face. With his thumbs touching his cheeks he wagged his hands on the side of his head.

"Nyah nyah!" He said childishly, now comically out of place in his mind with the female voice. Hajime laughed to himself.

 _I don't know what's going on, but this is too freaky to be still a game. I_ felt _pain. My voice has changed and I'm also able to perform emotes that weren't possible in YGGDRASIL. Either the devs have outdone themselves or something weird is going on._

Hajime put a hand on his hip and looked down. His breasts were in his way. He blinked for a moment before his eyes narrowed. His lips drew a line as he processed this information. Hajime looked back up and closed his eyes with a deep breath.

 _Nope. Not going to give in to base desires._ He thought. _Besides, ogling this character would almost be the same as ogling your sister._ Hajime cringed at the thought.

He stood there while his face slowly contorted into a grimace.

 _Okay! I've gotta find out! For science!_

The transmog room wasn't enough to confirm his suspicions. It only allowed the player to tinker around with cosmetic ideas for gear. In order for Hajime to fully conclude he indeed was in a woman's body, he needed a foolproof test. He needed to get down to his skin and the transmog room wouldn't show a nude model.

 _I could use hot bath. It'd take a bit of the edge off. Now where could I do that?_

It would also help to ease off the aches and pains for sleeping on a stone floor for an unknown time. Inside the guildhall, however, there were no stations for bathing. Hajime walked briskly through the entire complex, trying to find something that resembled bath or basin.

 _Right, no need for running water. It_ is _a videogame afterall. Wasn't there a pond or lake near here?_

He found the entrance but stopped before the exit. It was a hallway that lead nowhere. Though they didn't take part in PvP, they still wanted a small sense of security. The dead end was pure stone, yet the guildhall's limits extended a short distance beyond.

Hajime pulled out his guild ring, a standard item given to each member, and twiddled it on his finger.

He looked at the stone wall with trepidation. _Is the outside even the same?_ Mustering his resolve, Hajime activated the ring and teleported outside.

Hajime blinked, it was daylight outside. The landmark designating the guild entrance was a rock formation beside a cliff face. A faded dirt path extended out into the forest nearby. The greenery was astonishingly vivid to him. The stark details of the treebark and each individual leaf captivated him.

Walking forward, Hajime began his search. _So far, everything is looking the same as it was before. Yet, we put the guildhall in as generic a location as possible so that it wouldn't have distinguishing features to make it a target. I'd have to get to some high ground later to check that out._

Hajime brushed aside the shrubbery in his way as he walked off the path. He nimbly moved through the forest with dexterity that surprised him. The elvish traits were coming in handy. After several minutes of hiking, he found what he was looking for.

A small clear pond lay still in the midst of the trees. The top of the water like glass. The water was clean and had no life growing in it. It was perfect for a swim.

 _I remember once that a guild mate wanted to create a water feature and was experimenting with YGGDRASIL's water creation tools. I think they abandoned the project after a while._

Hajime examined his perimeter from where he was standing.

 _Well, no one's around._ He began to disrobe.

Out of his clothes, his face tensed up and his upper lip stuck out. Hajime's chin was up, extending his neck and he gulped. He clenched and unclenched his fists in anxiety.

 _You've got to do this! You've got to do this!_ He then looked down.

Birds and wildlife were given a shock as a girlish shriek ripped through the air.

Hajime's knees buckled and a pained look came across his features.

 _All gone. It's all gone._ He lamented.

He, rather she, sniffed and rubbed her nose.

 _It's ok, deal with it for now. We can find a way to change you back._ She thought.

Steeling herself, she stood up and walked over to the pond. Hajime dipped her foot in the water without any care and yelped from the cold temperature.

 _That won't do._ She thought. _Wasn't there an item that could be used for this?_

After a moment's thought, Hajime sensed the vague presence of her inventory.

 _If it's like the transmog room, then this feature can be used in a similar manner?_

Acting on instinct once more, Hajime reached out in front of her. After a moment of feeling silly, her hand disappeared through a small dark portal. She reached into that nothing and, thinking about the item she wanted, pulled her hand out.

In her clenched fist was a small wand. It was made from a softwood and appeared to be a simple branch pulled off a tree. It was a wand that could make a water source give the user a "rested" bonus upon use. Pointing the tip down at the water, the magic activated. A short burst of steam wafted from the water's surface.

 _Ah! There. Who ever said that this item was useless?_

Hajime placed the item back into her inventory and stepped into the water. The feeling was divine. She sighed gratefully as she sat down in the pleasantly warmed water. Her aches and pains were disappearing and now her headache was gone as well. She leaned backward against the pond's edge and closed her eyes before sinking down into the water.

She kept her face above the surface but submerged the rest of her body. Her ears filled with water, muffling all sound nearby. With this, she could briefly forget the ordeal of her unwilling sex change.

Hajime floated on her back as he thought. _Well, I can safely say this isn't YGGDRASIL since I can do what's only reserved for games with an adult rating._ She gagged at the thoughts. _This is my sister's character and I will respect it. Don't go getting any lecherous ideas again._

Regaining her composure, she stared up into the sky. _I'd better try calling a GM when I'm done here._

Leaves rustled behind her and Hajime stood up. Peering out from the woods and directly at her, several men walked into view. They wore identical uniforms well suited for travel and bore arms with the same insignia that Hajime didn't recognize. Their helmets were open so she could see their faces. She could tell that they were prepared to pounce and worse, all of them wore a lecherous expression.

 **Did** _I stumble into an adult game? And what are these? New trash mobs?_

"My my, missy. What are you doing out here by yourself?" the man closest to Hajime said in a singsong voice, "You should be more modest sweetie, you wouldn't want unworthy eyes to see yourself exposed." The men snickered as they drew their weapons.

Hajime looked at the men walking close to her and brought a finger up to count them. "Let's see, one, two, three, four, five, six… So there's ten of them and only one of me. That won't be much of a problem."

"I got her stuff!" One of the men raised Hajime's sword in the air. Hajime groaned.

The leader chuckled, "Now, if you'd be so kind as to come with us."

Hajime continued aloud. "If I put a fireball right there, it'd probably take out the whole lot. Ugh, I wish that it didn't take such a high MP cost for me right now. If I was in my usual character I'd take them all out quicker because of more fireballs."

"Huh? C'mon now elfy, we know how to take care of a pretty little thing like you"

"Then again, I could just use magus arcana to give myself [Haste], grab the sword, stab that guy in the face… Nah, it'd leave too much of an opening. Fireball. Definitely fireball."

"Why aren't you covering yourself? You should be terrified!"

"Wha…?" Hajime said.

The leader jabbed a finger. "You're naked and outnumbered. Why aren't you putting up a fight? And what're you muttering about?"

 _They're talking back?!_ Hajime stood, dumbfounded.

"That's it! Shoot 'er in the arm!"

A henchman in the back nocked an arrow and drew back. Hajime prepared himself to spring when suddenly a cry of pain came from behind her. She turned to see another man clad in full-plate armed with two-handed sword assaulting the henchman.

"Shoot _him!_ Shoot _him!"_ The leader cried. The archer adjusted his aim for the new combatant and fired.

"[Flow Acceleration!]"

With incredible speed, the warrior dodged and pirouetted to the next henchman to his left. Two men approached the melee and slashed overhead.

"[Fatal Edge!]" the warrior yelled. His sword began to glow as he attacked horizontally. The blade went clean through the armor of the henchmen and they fell.

"Give me that!" The henchmen's leader grabbed the bow from the archer and took aim as the warrior fought his other opponents. After pausing for an opening, the leader loosed his arrow. Another henchmen went down to the warriors attack before he was struck in the shoulder from the arrow. The henchmen stopped and fell back a step. The warrior held still for a moment as if in pain and then turned to face his new enemy.

The henchmen gasped as the warrior appeared unharmed.

"Tch, I'll handle it myself!" the leader said. He pulled out his sword and charged, the warrior doing the same.

"[Instant Counter!]" the warrior yelled when the leader was near.

In a flurry of motion the leader and warrior made contact. The warrior stood straight before the leader fell.

"What, no!" the lackeys yelled.

Hajime, with a deadpan expression, looked between the few enemies that were left. In another moment they were fleeing. The warrior bellowed laughter, "Now don't let me catch your filth near here again!"

"Not bad!"

Not turning around yet the warrior said, "It's the least I could do for a maiden in distress."

 _Maiden? Distress?_ "Uh, sure."

Hajime climbed out from the pond and walked over to the dead leader. "Just who are these enemies? Are they a trash mob or something?"

"Trash mob? Uhhhh-"

Hajime began to loot the bodies. "Yeah, like, do they drop any worthwhile consumibles or are they a part of any dailies? There's got to be some worth from defeating them. With the hole, 'Imma gonna rape ya!' flavor text."

Silence.

"Are you-" Hajime turned.

The warrior was covering his mouth and looking away. His face a deep red.

Hajime raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

The warrior took a deep breath. "Will you please put some damn clothes on!?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Clothes? Huh?" Hajime looked downward.

She screeched loudly, as she had when she first undressed, and scrambled over to her gear. Crouching near the ground, she hugged the pile of equipment close to her. As best she could she covered herself.

The warrior was facing away from her sitting on a small boulder, scratching the top of his head. Thus allowing Hajime as much privacy as the setting allowed to dress. Quickly, she put on the top undershirt of the gambeson and began to equip herself.

 _Man, I hope there's a feature to equip items quickly like in the old YGGDRASIL. This is kinda tedious._ "So what do you think the devs had in mind for this event?"

"What?"

"Ya know, like I said earlier."

"These are men from the Slane Theocracy. Probably slavers, you're lucky I got here when I did."

"I could've taken them. It was only a trash mob."

"Tch! Yeah, they were about to fall over to your streaking."

Hajime rolled her eyes. "I wasn't planning on streaking. They just… caught me at a bad time."

"And what of the scream I heard from you? You have a funny definition of 'handling it'"

"[Fireball]"

A burst of fire hissed past the warrior's head and into the trees nearby, exploding into a large column of fire. The warrior fell backward and was gasping for air.

"That answer your question?"

The warrior turned and growled, "You have your own gear that can do that!"

All he saw was Hajime, clothed in the undershirt of the gambeson, waving at him with one hand. An innocent smile on her face. The warrior harrumphed and turned away from her. Hajime pulled up the pair of trousers and stared at the rest of her armor. _I got it off, now how do I get it back on again?_

She put her boots on her feet next and then the chain shirt after getting the rest of the gambeson on. Hajime picked up the sabatons and greaves. She took a moment to examine the straps located on the edge of the plates. Hajime fixed the leg armor to herself and worked at getting the breastplate on. Then finally, the gauntlets and bracers. With some fiddling, Hajime had all the armor back in place.

She went over to the bodies of the men the warrior had just killed. Seeing that she was suitably dressed, the warrior watched her.

"Why is a magic caster like you wielding a sword? Shouldn't you be using robes and staves?" the warrior asked, although rudely.

"Psh! Please. Don't group me with those glass cannons. I'm playing a magus."

The warrior eyed her quizzically.

"Who _are_ you?" the warrior said.

"I'd like to think of myself as nobody of consequence. Who are _you?"_

Hajime was now more forcibly removing anything that she deemed valuable. The Slane Theocracy thugs' swords was a good start and she put them into her inventory. The dark portal to her inventory appeared whenever she wished to stash an item.

"That's dodging the question." the warrior said.

"And you're dodging mine," Hajime said playfully.

The warrior grunted, displeased. He crossed his arms. "My name is Huck. I'm a warrior from the Re-Estize Kingdom"

"Is that your real name or your character's name?" Hajime asked.

"My character?"

"Yeah, the one you're playing as right now in the game."

Baffled Huck said, "Will you stop talking like that! This isn't any game."

Hajime put a finger to her mouth, "Oh, so this is an RP server, I get it!"

"Just tell me your name."

 _I may as well go by this character's name while I'm in it. Fine, I am Elora now. Besides, Hajime is a man's name anyway it'd probably alienate Huck more than I've already done. Aww, sorry Sis!_

Hajime gave a mischievous grin. "Fine, I'll play along, my name is Elora."

Huck folded his arms in annoyance as Elora finished looting the corpses. She piled the bodies in a heap near the pond and pointed a finger at them.

"[Spark]"

The bodies immolated as fire slowly grew. Smoke rose into the air and the stink of burning flesh stabbed Elora's nose.

"Eeah! Gross!" Elora plugged her nostrils.

"What are you doing!?" Huck said.

Elora defended, "What? It was a good idea!"

"You just revealed our location, that fire is going to alert every patrol in the area!"

"Huh? There are more of those?"

"After letting a few of their buddies go, yes."

Elora chided herself for not thinking about that sooner. Huck stood up and began to walk out of the clearing.

"Wait," Elora said.

"We don't have time to wait, let's go."

"I know, I do have something I need to get really quick."

Elora walked back in the direction of the guildhall. It took longer than it did the first time because Huck wasn't as adept at dodging the undergrowth as she. He spent most of his time grumbling through the branches. Yet, despite that, he tagged along. Whether it was out of a sense of chivalry or a way for him to not be alone, Elora couldn't tell. Still, she was somewhat grateful for the company. It made her feel less alone.

After reaching the guild's entrance, Elora motioned for Huck to wait.

"I'll be out in a few minutes, don't leave without me please, I've got some more questions."

"That depends on how generous I feel, I still haven't received a thank you for killing those thugs for you. You have a strange way of showing gratitude."

Elora put her hands on her hips, "I told you, a trash mob isn't going to kill me."

Huck leaned against a tree. "Damsels in distress aren't supposed to act like this," he muttered to himself.

Elora chuckled before using her guild ring to teleport inside the hall. She leaned against the stone entrance and gathered her thoughts.

 _I still don't know if this is a game or not. Huck seems to me to be a player that likes to RP. At least I'm hoping he's a player. NPC's who interact with you and hold perfect conversations would take an unbelievably sophisticated AI. Which I don't think exists yet._

Elora snapped her fingers. _Duh, why didn't I try calling a GM in the first place? I feel so stupid for not trying that earlier._

She put a hand to her ear and focused inwardly to try and find the GM call function and soon was able to locate it. Reaching out as she had with other game features, she directed a message to the nearest GM.

No response.

Elora's face darkened. _I guess I'm not in a game after all. One final test._

Elora started the logout function. She was met with the same success as the GM call. She slumped against the wall as her weight increased. Then slowly lowered herself to the floor. Elora hugged her knees.

 _Mom…_

 _Dad…_

 _Sis..._

 _Home…_

Doubts entered Elora's mind. Was she going to find a way home? Is it possible? A world of magic certainly has a way to do that, she meditated. She looked around at the guildhall, lost. She sniffed and laboriously put herself on her feet. With difficulty, placing one foot in front of the other, she walked inside the guildhall.

Each step became easier as she focused on an immediate goal. Elora walked through the hallways and entered the guild bank once again. Taking a moment to get her bearings, she remembered where they kept the consumibles. It was a small room lined with shelves with glass flasks of varying colors and degrees of decoration. Cabinets opposite the door had tomes and various scrolls inside them. A countertop was built as an island in the middle of the room.

Moving to the cabinets, Elora took out a large blue tome. After a moment of reading, she placed it on the countertop.

 _As I thought, it's difficult for me to read the scrolls contained in this Tome of Teleport. It seems that the stats from this character translated over to this world. Ugh, if that's the case then it can take us any number of places if I botch it. A whole ten levels will have to pass for me to cast [Teleport] on my own._ Elora groaned. _I wish that this class could cast [Gate] in later levels._

Taking the tome, Elora attached a clip to it and put it on her belt beside her hip. She walked out from the room and through the armory to the premium items' room. Before her, weapons and armor reserved high level characters who reached the endgame. Each radiated a palpable magic aura which Elora sensed keenly now. The craftsmanship and beauty of these items was unmistakable.

One in particular caught her eye. It was a hand-and-a-half sword which had a gap in the blade from the tip to the guard. The serrated edges of the blade was colored red which faded gradually to silver at the ends. A purple aura flickered like static throughout. Elora went to the display case holding the sword and opened it. The magic generated from the item met her like steam rushing from an open pot. She winced when it hit her. Holding out her hand she tried to grip the hilt of the sword.

A shock burned her senses as well as a tangible force rejected her hand. Elora recoiled from the burst.

 _As I thought, I'm too low leveled to wield it. It's going to take time to reach a point where I can go for it without worry. I may as well get equipped with the best gear I can at this level._ Another thought hit her. _CAN I level up in this world?_

Figuring that was a test for another time, Elora went back into the main part of the bank. Finding the best items she could wield, she equipped herself. The effect was a garish combination of armor that didn't match. _I am definitely not leaving like this._

A short time later, Elora teleported back to the entrance outside the guildhall. Huck was standing by a tree with his arms up leisurely behind his head with his eyes shut. Elora walked up to him.

"I'm ready to go now," she said.

"It took you long enough. Where did you go?"

"I grabbed a few things. It'll make travel a bit more convenient."

Huck stood up straight and stretched his arms. "If it makes up for lost time then I don't have a problem-" Huck cut himself off as he saw Elora.

She was wearing a combination of a wizard's robe and the medium armor she had before. The ornate robe was over the breastplate and chainmail beneath on the torso. It had a red-violet base color with pale blue accents. The robe flowed to knee length before revealing more armor on her legs. The tome of teleport was at attached at her hip. Elora's upper arms were exposed until her forearms became covered with bracers. Her right arm was gauntleted but her left was only covered with a light fingerless glove.

Elora motioned to her new outfit. "It's not much, but I figured I shouldn't take any chances."

"Are you from the Adventurer's Guild? What rank are you?" Huck asked, dumbfounded.

 _Adventurer's Guild? So they have that sort of thing here._

"I'm from Kaz Aida Firius. That's who I adventured with."

"It's not a group I know. What rank were you?"

Elora put a hand to her chin. "I'm not too sure, actually. We were just around for fun. No expectations to meet a rank or status."

Huck's eyes widened. "For fun?! You alone appear to be at least orichalcum ranked."

"Is that a bad thing?" Elora asked.

"You really don't have a clue? For adventurers there are copper, iron, silver, gold, platinum, mithril, orichalcum, and, finally, adamantite. I'd put you in at least orichalcum, that's what I'm at." Huck pointed at a small red-gold plate with cords attached that he wore around his neck.

Elora considered it for a moment. "This Adventurer's Guild, do you often find high quality loot?"

"It depends on the job. Now, let's get out of here before any more of the Slane Theocracy show up." Huck turned and was about to hurry off when Elora grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait," Elora said. Huck turned to see Elora holding the open tome and light shone around them.

"[Teleport!]" Elora said as they disappeared in a flash of light.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Sorry for the absence guys. Holidays and such. Also had to really push through some writer's block. .

I hope having a longer chapter makes up for it.

 **Chapter 4**

Jumping through space for the first time is like giving a cat a bath. It's not very fun and someone usually ends up bloodied. Exiting the [Teleport], Huck and Elora were flung at high velocity from the air to the ground. Elora and Huck both screamed.

They hurled at an angle through the air over the grassy planes before crashing into the earth leaving a large trench. Dust belched into the air as Elora and Huck emerged from the small crater that had formed, Elora climbing out first. Huck had barely managed to make it out before he collapsed on the grass, exhausted yet unharmed.

"Ugh, I need more xp to use that spell properly," Elora said wearily.

"You mean to tell me, you used magic without knowing how it works?" Huck said between breaths.

The corner of Elora's mouth rose in an apologetic smile.

Huck let out a breath. "Where are we exactly?"

"Um, I don't know."

Huck's mouth dropped. "A [Teleport] without a destination in mind. For someone who can use a fifth tier spell, I'd have thought you'd have more of a plan. Again, _who are you_?"

Elora looked away and gave a nervous laugh. She admitted to herself that was pretty stupid, teleporting without any real idea of where they were going. Unlike [Greater Teleport] the likelihood of the regular [Teleport] spell failing without having seen your destination is very high. Not to mention that she couldn't cast the spell without aid yet because of her lower level. Elora mentally scolded herself for being so careless.

 _In YGGDRASIL teleporting was so common with my high level account that I forgot to think about it._

To Huck's earlier question she replied, "I told you, I'm an adventurer like you."

"Not likely," he said. "What plate are you?"

At the comment, Elora stammered. She didn't have any clue what he was talking about and she smiled nervously. "Is that related to the ranks you mentioned earlier?"

Huck nodded back at her. He had managed to look composed, finally, after climbing away from the trench they had made. Elora wasn't giving him any answers, she wouldn't lie to him. Huck sighed and looked around. It was the first time Elora was able to get a good look at him. Huck was taller than her and had large shoulders and arms solid like granite. His wild black hair gave him a fierce appearance despite the more gentle, youthful eyes.

 _Heh, typical fighter._ Elora snarked to herself.

"Look, I don't care that you're not a part of the adventurer's guild. There are many people who do adventuring freelance work away from the guild, it's not that uncommon. What I do care about is that we're far enough away from any Slane Theocracy thugs."

"You mentioned them before, who are they?" Elora asked.

Huck double took. "What?! You're joking?"

"No, I'm dead serious."

"You mean to tell me that you're elvish and don't know about the Slane Theocracy. They've been at war with your country for years."

Elora scratched her head and chuckled. "Well you could say that I'm not really from around here."

"I'm not even going to ask." Huck rolled his eyes and explained. "The Slane Theocracy is a human nation in the southern region that is extremely xenophobic. They believe that humanity should be the ruling race in the world and will stop at nothing until those ends are met. The racist bastards have been at war with the elves for many years now, since I was little."

"So it's a good thing you took care of them when we met," Elora said.

"You could say that. I don't have any love for them."

A heaviness crept into the air. Huck's fists were clenched and his jaw was set. Elora wondered what Huck had gone through in order to have such a distaste for the Slane Theocracy. She felt that there was a lot to learn about this new world. Elora hoped that the experience wouldn't be a harsh one.

Elora perked up and changed the subject. "Well, how about you take me to the adventurer's guild. That seems to be a good place to start to me."

Huck gave a weak smile, thankful for the switch in topic. "Yeah."

"So where are we now?" Elora asked.

Now able to get his bearings, Huck put a hand over his brow to shade his eyes and examined the landscape. The grassy field they were in was bordered by mountains, and before that lay a large forest. The land they were on had rolling hills to break up the flat stretches and all of it was covered with green grass.

"It looks like you teleported us further south. Opposite of where I was headed. We're just outside the Elf Country, that should be perfect. I know a place that you'll get treated well since I'm with you and they'd be happy to have a powerful elf working there."

"Well then, let's get going!" Elora said. She walked with a spring in her step, arms swaying widely beside her.

 _It should be fun to adventure in this setting. It's more real than YGGDRASIL and the possibilities seem endless. Let's make a name for our self!_

While journeying, Elora took in the sights, enjoying them far more than she could as a human. Her heightened senses allowing her to appreciate the breeze and sun even more. Elora's sharp eyesight showing her the details in the clouds and the fine points in the grass. The air had a light damp scent and the wind swished through the trees and grass.

She crouched to the side of their path ahead of Huck and observed some insects crawling along. Was there really this much life back at home?

Huck watched her and was embarrassed for her as she appeared to have the naieveté of a child. He put up with it as one would an energetic little sister and continued along with her.

"You're really into this aren't you?" Huck said.

Elora stopped, suddenly aware of how she was acting. She laughed nervously. "All this is kinda new to me, actually."

Huck chuckled, "You really are full of surprises, aren't you?"

"Sorry, I don't mean to. One minute I'm playing a game, and the next I'm here, seemingly stuck in it."

"What do you mean by being 'stuck in it?'"

Elora put her hands behind her head. "I mean just that. I was playing a videogame when the servers shut down and now I'm here."

"Videogame?" Huck asked.

"Uh-huh. I guess you really aren't another player or else you'd know what that is. It's a game you play on a computer. It's like this, you're still here, but you get to experience another world and story without any consequences."

"So you were in another world but then got stuck in this one? Is that what you're suggesting?"

"Yep."

Huck stopped and put a hand to his chin. Elora walked on farther ahead and didn't notice for a few moments before turning around. Huck looked serious and he turned gaze back to Elora.

"I don't know what you think about all that, but you may want to be careful who you tell that to," Huck said.

"Why?"

Huck's gaze narrowed. "It can upset some people. Magic may not be uncommon, but magic of that tier is unprecedented. Look at it from this point. You were able to cast fifth tier magic, but only barely. Such a feat is in the realm of the Thirteen Heroes. Then top it off with claiming to be from another world, you'll attract some unwanted attention. That, you can count on."

Elora blinked.

More heaviness in the air.

Huck then grinned. "Well, I guess you were right. You could take care of those Slane Theocracy goons." He laughed. Elora smiled before joining the laughter.

The afternoon wore on as they journeyed, with the sun cresting near the horizon. Huck kept their path near the edge of the forest where they joined a path leading alongside it.

Soon after, Elora spotted some activity in the distance. A train of covered wagons moved toward a crossing she and Huck were approaching. It wasn't large, having only five wagons. They were pulled by one ox on each that was driven by a single crewman sitting the head of the wagon. Some of the others were on horseback. The caravan had an armed escort, with two guards walking by each wagon. It was well outfitted for such a small group.

"Hey, do you think we could join them if we're going in the right direction?" Elora asked.

"I suppose, but let me- Hey!" Huck was interrupted by Elora zipping ahead suddenly, her arm extended in a wave.

"Hello there! Mind if we tag along?" Elora shouted.

As it got close, Elora stood at the crossing and got a better look at the group. The caravan was comprised entirely of elves, most of them were male. They walked past Elora largely without much heed. Huck finally caught up.

"What's their problem?" Elora asked. Huck just shrugged and watched.

After a few more wagons had passed and elf on horseback approached. "Are you adventurers?"

Elora put on a wide grin and spoke before Huck could stop her. "That would be us!"

"We're headed near Keshell, it's east of here. If you're going that way could we join you for a time?" Huck said.

"You've got your own supplies?" the elf on the horse said.

Elora was aware that she hadn't grabbed any food from the guildhall and she became aware of her hunger when her stomach expressed its displeasure. Huck and the elf looked at her before she gave a nervous laugh.

"Actually, I have an idea!" Elora then reached into her inventory and pulled out a gold coin from YGGDRASIL. The leader of the caravan cocked an eyebrow at the sight.

"We can pay y-"

Huck cut Elora short and reached around her shoulders, putting her into a huddle."We're fine, I've got supplies for the two of us."

"Hey!" Elora whispered to Huck.

"Don't go flaunting that ability around. You need to pretend like you're a normal adventurer. What were you planning on giving him anyway?"

Elora opened her hand for Huck to see. Huck let out a sound involuntarily when he saw an YGGDRASIL gold coin.

"Something wrong?" the elf behind them said.

"Nothing's fine," Huck's voice cracked as he spoke out in a stammer.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" Elora asked.

"You're about to give out a gold coin to a caravan we know nothing about. The last thing you want to do is show that you're very wealthy to a stranger on the road. Besides, that's not any type of currency I recognize."

"We're adventurers though. Isn't it implied that we're wealthy?"

"Sure. But you don't need to confirm it... To them... I'll handle this."

"Look if you need some time, I can just head out," the elf on the horse said.

Elora and Huck broke from the huddle. Elora put the YGGDRASIL coin in a pocket.

"No, we're fine. We can come along," Huck said.

"Okay then. You can come with. Don't expect any pay for any monsters you kill with us. You're on your own time." The elf spurred the horse and headed to the front of the caravan. When he was gone, Huck and Elora jogged lightly to catch up with the rear of the train and then walked behind the last wagon. A guard gave them a quick look before returning his attention to the front.

The last wagon was covered completely so they couldn't see inside to discern what the goods were, as were all the rest. It was wide and had four wheels. Despite the clean outer appearance, the wagon reeked. Elora nearly had to cover her nose to keep from being nauseous.

"Well, it was kind of them to let us stay with them. I suppose having capable adventurers is in demand?" Elora said as she looked to Huck.

Huck kept his eyes forward.

"I mean, we don't have to worry about getting lost or anything. Hehe..."

No reply.

Elora waved. "Hey. Mr. Muscles-for-Brains?"

"What are you transporting?" Huck shouted ahead.

Elora pouted and listened in. The guard next to the wagon turned while walking. "We're transporting livestock. Some work animals for the farms."

"Why are the wagons covered?" Huck asked.

"We didn't want to disturb them while in transport. You know how oxes and horses can get."

"I suppose…"

Keeping track of the road wasn't difficult. It hugged the edge of the forest and then allowed them passage through a canyon between the mountains. The forest became thick and the dirt road became finally engulfed in the large trees. The forest was deciduous and had only light undergrowth. Large oak trees provided enough shade to make the travelling pleasantly cool, but not enough to blot out all sunlight. It was vibrantly green and Elora felt she had to rub her eyes to keep focus.

Further in, the trees' were gradually growing larger. The treebark became redder and their height grew to even more staggering heights.

"What is this place?" Elora asked, her head craned, trying to see the top.

"The Great Forest of Evasha," Huck said.

"Where I'm from, we have a place that has trees similar to this. Though, I've never gone personally," Elora said. Remembering Huck's advice from before, she was being careful not to explicitly say she was from another world.

"I don't blame you for gawking. I did."

Elora put a hand over her mouth and whispered to Huck. "Elves don't live in cities where the buildings are the trees, do they?"

"No, why?"

Elora let out an exaggerated breath. "Oh good, I was hoping for that. None of this tree-hugging hippy nonsense I see trending. These ones are kind of like Noldor from Tolkien, I guess."

"Noldor?" Huck said.

Remembering where she was, Elora waved it off. "Uh! More stuff from where I'm from."

Finding a suitable location, the caravan stopped for the day. The group moved like a well-oiled machine in getting camping supplies set up and the wagons situated. A guard was always stationed near a wagon and never once did that change.

Elora situated herself so she could be called on to help if needed. She leaned against a wagon and looked around. Through the routing, none of the other elves seemed to notice her. They each continued their job as if she wasn't there. When Elora tried to meet any of their eyes, it felt as if they were ignoring her on purpose. She decided to talk with the caravan leader.

Elora wandered through several laborers before finding the elf leader. She found him talking with one of the other men. They immediately stopped when she approached.

"Sir, is there anything I can help with setting up camp?" Elora asked.

He addressed her curtly. "Just keep any monsters away from the wagons and you'll be good." He and the other elf he was speaking to walked off immediately.

The laborers set up a fire and placed seats in a circle around it. Food began cooking and Elora's mouth watered as she approached the circle of caravanners. Huck touched her shoulder and motioned her to follow. He lead her a distanc away from the gathering where he sat on a log and Elora sat opposite him. After which, Huck set up his own fire.

"Here," Huck said as he handed her a hunk of bread with some dried meat when he was finished. She thanked him and began eating.

"Why are we eating over here?" Elora asked.

Huck spoke quietly. "There's something funny about this group. Look."

The group was all seated around the fire. Some were simply talking while others were bursting out in fits of laughter.

"It looks like a normal camp to me," Elora said, also speaking softly.

Huck kept his gaze fixed. "Look at the wagons."

Elora turned away from Huck and examined them. They were just the same as they were when they had been travelling. Only one wagon was open with supplies and this was the first time that Elora was able to get a good look inside any of them.

Huck spoke. "If they're transporting work animals, then why haven't they let them out to graze?"

Elora blinked. "Huh?"

"Are you dense? Whenever you are transporting large livestock it isn't the best to be carrying around lots of feed for them because that adds to the weight you're pulling. Instead, you let them graze as you stop. It's far easier that way. And look." Huck pointed. "The horses and oxen are over there. There are no more animals with them than were out before."

"What are you getting at?" Elora asked.

"What kind of working animal do you keep locked up?"

Elora looked up at Huck who was staring at the wagons with a hard expression. She looked back at the wagons and took in a sharp breath. "We've got to stop this!"

"Shhh… That's the plan."

"What were you thinking?"

"We can't just open the wagons and let the slaves run across the country. In all likelihood, they'd end up dead on their own. However, I wouldn't blame them if they just wanted to leave. What I'm thinking is I can open the wagons while you distract the crew. Then, once I'm done, we can take care of them."

"Would that be okay?"

Huck looked at Elora. "Slavery isn't legal, but that is not necessarily enforced. And even when the law deals with it, they do so lazily."

The corner of Elora's mouth rose. "So if we don't get caught dealing with them, we're golden."

Huck smirked back with a chuckle before a knife was pressed against his neck and Elora's.

"I wouldn't go about doing that, if I were you." The elf who was holding the dagger said.

"Is there a Plan B?" Elora said with her neck raised. Huck rolled his eyes.

"[Ablative Barrier!] [Quicken Ablative Barrier!]" Elora shouted, holding up a rod.

A barrier of force surrounded Elora and Huck and protected them as the elves tried to use their daggers. They both turned in unison and punched the two elves in the face. The elves loudly yelped in pain before Elora drew her sword and stabbed the elf nearest to her in the stomach. Huck had his sword drawn as well and performed an overhead slash that dispatched the one nearest to him.

The camp burst into activity with the guards around the wagons being the first responders. The elves around the campfire moved quickly to grab weapons and rushed to aid the guards.

Huck was in motion, charging into the group of elves. Three of them engaged Huck with swords and spears. Despite earlier, seeing him struggle through the undergrowth of the forest, he flowed gracefully in between them. In a movement Elora hadn't thought possible with a heavy two-hander, Huck pushed the spears away from him and connected the hilt with the face of one of the elves. The elf clutched his face as blood dripped from his nose. Not missing a beat, Huck lowered himself and tripped the remaining elves before dispatching them. Seeing that his present opponents were dealt with, he began to engage another group.

Elora couldn't help but watch in admiration. Was she able to do that too? Her thoughts were interrupted as an elf yelled when he rushed at Elora with a spear. She moved to block him, being too close to fire off a spell. Her sword deflected the spear, although clumsily, causing the spear to graze her right arm. Elora hissed in pain and grabbed the enemy elf's shoulder.

"[Burning Hands!]"

The elf spearman let out a scream as fire enveloped Elora's hand and burned him. He turned and jabbed furiously at Elora with the spear. She awkwardly dodged the flurry of attacks, unable to give herself secure footing. Elora gritted her teeth as she did her best to avoid getting gored. Despite this, her opponent scored several glancing blows.

Elora grimaced. _Too close!_

"What are you doing? Don't let them get you on the defensive!" Huck yelled.

Backstepping, Elora retreated. The spearman relentlessly continued. She couldn't shake him, despite her futile jabs, yet he was able to hit her.

Another cut. Another hit.

Huck was occupied with another group. Two swordsman attacked simultaneously.

"[Flow Acceleration!]"

Huck's speed increased as he sidestepped both of them. In passing, he kicked one in the rear and sent him sprawling. The second elf turned in time to receive an attack in the gut. Huck quickly turned his attention to the other one, now on the ground and finished him.

Huck yelped in pain as an arrow struck him in the shoulder. It hit just above the armpit, piercing the chain but getting caught in the padding. He turned to face an archer in time to see him loose another arrow using a shortbow. It struck his breastplate, yet lacked the power to pierce further. Huck charged at the archer and killed him with a single stroke.

Elora's fighting wasn't getting her anywhere. The spearman she was facing pushed her further back. Her arms were lined with cuts and a red line caressed her cheek.

 _I've got to end this soon! I don't know how much longer I can hold him off!_

She moved her sword to deflect the spear, her left hand began to glow. Seeing this, the spearman sped up his assault, interrupting Elora's casting.

 _Shit!_

The spearman let out a laugh with a grin, never slowing. Elora's mind was concentrated on evading the spear. She could barely bring herself to think the right thoughts to cast her spells or use her magus arcana. Elora was startled when her back hit one of the wagons.

 _No!_

Her eyes widened as she watched the spearman, a wicked grin on his face, prepare a lunge. His arms flew forward, Elora had nowhere to go. She closed her eyes as she prepared for the end.

A gurgled cry came from the spearman as a sword point emerged from his chest. He fell as Huck cleaned his blade. Relief came over Elora as her knees buckled. She had nearly died. What would've happened if Huck hadn't arrived in time? Many bodies lay on the ground in the camp and few of the other elves were fleeing. How could she have been so confident before? She looked at the one spearman whom she failed to defeat alone.

"Thank you…" Elora said quietly.

"Maybe you needed protecting after all." Huck extended his hand.

Elora sniffed and dried her eyes before smiling. "Hehe, yeah."


End file.
